Heaven Fall
by brandizzle93
Summary: Clarke has always been different; special. It was something she struggled to hide. Now banished to Earth in a desperate attempt to save her life, Clarke finds herself alone on an alien planet. Until she's not. Rated for future violence and adult situations. Clexa. AU. Alternate timeline.
1. Chapter 1

. ... .

Lexa observed silently from her perch, well hidden within the upper branches of the tree. Smoke and fire drifted from below, casting haze that Lexa fought to see through.

She had maintained this position for hours, ever since her Council Meeting had been interrupted by a white, incandescent light and a loud crash that had reverberated through the mountain side. Her and a few of her trusted guards had taken off at once, expecting the worst; a missile launch from the _Maunon_ perhaps. Instead, they had found a small section of random forest burned and a single, small metal box in the middle of the destruction.

Her men's first instinct was to surround it, but Lexa held them back with a simple motion of her hand. She knew that size was not an indicator of danger when it came to the Mountain Men's technology, which this most certainly was. She had seen small flashes of light coming from the box earlier–her _nomon_ had once told her the name of it, _elektricitee_. Few knew this word. It was something that was harnessed by the _Maunon_ to bring destruction upon her people.

It was death.

Though it had been hours and her muscles ached from the strain of maintaining the same position, she did not move, nor did her men. It was something they had learned in the early lessons of becoming a warrior, the ability to be as still and quiet as a snake preparing to spring. It was exhausting, and not something she particularly enjoyed.

Just as she was wondering how much longer she would have to endure this torment, there was movement from below. First came a strange _hiss_ of air, followed by a groan as a door to the box slid open. The next thing Lexa saw had her open mouthed in shock.

A woman climbed out of the box of fire.

She seemed weakened and disoriented as she pulled herself onto her feet. Though Lexa wasn't able to make out much about the woman's features, she did see that her face was covered in blood.

That wasn't what shocked her. No, it was the fact that this woman crawled out of her box of fire without the strange outfit that the _Maunon_ were required to wear. Though the _Trigedakru_ hadn't known of this weakness until Lexa had begun her reign as Commander, she had discovered that the reason the _Maunon_ wore the odd clothes was because the very air was harmful to them, causing their skin to break out into a foul smelling blisters and eventually killing them.

This woman wasn't from the Mountain. Then, from where did she hail?

" _Heda_ ," came a whisper from her side. Indeed, she had felt Gustus hop down silently onto the branch next to her a few moments ago. " _Teik ai frag em op,_ " he requested. _Let me kill her_.

"No, _Gostos_ ," she denied. Lexa watched the woman with curious eyes as she looked around at her surroundings. " _Osir na kamp raun ona tri." We will stay in the trees._

She could tell that Gustus did not like her hesitation and turned to face him more fully. " _Daunde ste kwelen_ ," she told him. _She is weak_. " _Non em danksta,"_ _She is not dangerous._

Almost as though she had heard the conversation and was doing her best to prove Lexa's point, the strange woman fell to her knees, a piercing cry tearing from her throat and echoing throughout the forest. A streak of moonlight fell across her face at her lowered position, and Lexa was able to make out the paleness of her hair. It was an odd sight, as so few of Lexa's people had hair like hers.

The girl's cries continued throughout the night, and she made no move to stray from her strange box of fire. Eventually, the sun was about to rise and their camouflage would be easily spotted in the daylight. " _Osir na kamp raun tri stegeda,"_ she commanded quietly. _We will return to our village._

They retreated, for now, but they would be back. Though the woman was alone, there was still the matter of where she came from.

. ... .

" _Clarke, this is the only way to save you," her mother whispered as she pulled her daughter quietly out of her solitary confinement cell in the middle of the night, between guard rotations._

" _Mom, I don't understand_ –" _Clarke cried, pulling back on the arm her mother was using to forcibly remove her from her cell. "Why are you here? They'll float you!"_

" _Clarke, there's no time. Please,_ please _just trust me and follow. I'll explain when we're safe," her mother pleaded. Knowing that Abby knew what she was getting herself into, Clarke obediently followed behind. Abby lead her out of the Skybox, where there were two guards awaiting them. Clarke stiffened in fear but her mother simply walked passed them, and once she did, they turned to follow her. Apparently, they were_ her _men, not Jaha's._

 _They walked through many back passageways, avoiding the main ones at all cost. Even with living on the Ark all her life, Clarke was soon hopelessly lost. Eventually, they came to a stop outside an air locked door._

" _Phillips, Jones, you should go now," Abby said, turning to face the guards that had followed them. "Thank you for everything," she told them. They nodded, glancing at Clarke briefly, before they turned on their heels and walked away._

" _Are we in Mecha?" Clarke finally asked, looking around curiously. Having been born on Phoenix, the wealthiest station, she had never needed to leave her station before, other than the brief walk through Wells to reach the medical bay._

" _Yes," Abby replied as she pressed a button off to the side of the entrance, causing the door to hiss with decompression as it opened. Abby gently pushed Clarke inside, following behind. Once inside, she turned back to the door before closing and latching it behind her._

" _Mom, what's going on?" Clarke asked again, looking around the room. It was filled with all sorts of odd bits of scrap metal, tools and spare parts. In the center there was a tall object, covered by a white stained sheet. "Why are we here?"_

" _I'm sending you to Earth," he mother finally told her, her voice breaking on the last word._

"What _?!" Clarke exclaimed, eyes widening. "Mom! Earth isn't survivable for another five generations!"_

" _Possibly," Abby agreed, wringing her hands, obviously nervous. "But we don't know for sure. That's based off of an estimate made well over a hundred years ago, Clarke. It might very well be survivable."_

" _But why? My Retrial is coming up soon! I promise that I'll say whatever they want me to, whatever it takes. I'll make sure that they know I'm not a threat to the Council," she pleaded, although the words felt wrong in her mouth._

" _It's too late for that, Clarke," Abby told her, turning away. There was a catch in her voice, a certain tightness in her shoulders._

" _Mom...?" Clarke questioned, the rest of her words hanging silently in the air between them._ What are you talking about?

 _Abby turned back to face her again, tears shining in her eyes. "You won't make it to your Review, Clarke. The Council has passed the order to begin reducing population. Two days from now, everyone in lockup and Sector 17 will be killed," Abby told her, her shoulders shaking._

" _What?!" Clarke screeched, her eyes going wide. "Mom, that's..." she paused as she quickly did the math in her head, "That's over six hundred people!"_

" _I know."_

 _The tired resignation in her mother's voice struck something within Clarke, and a tidal wave of anger was unleashed. "How could you let this happen?" she demanded through her teeth._

 _Her mother flinched, "I had no choice, Clarke," Abby told her, almost pleading. "Engineering found a solution to the system failure, but they need at least a year and a half to fix it. Once the Council learned that there was a fix to our problem, the vote went through without much resistance. I did everything I could."_

 _It was Clarke's turn to face away from her mother. "So, I would have been dead," she stated numbly, unable to really comprehend her words. Less than forty-eight hours had separated her from death._

" _Yes," Abby confirmed, "Which is why this had to be tonight. Tonight was the only night. I couldn't let you die in that cell."_

" _So, what? You send me to die a slow, painful death of radiation exposure instead?" Clarke asked bitingly, anger and shock making her body start to shake._

" _There's something else," her mother whispered, almost reluctantly. She looked down as she continued, "Kane is very suspicious of what he saw you do to the Jacobson boy," her mother stated, looking plainly at Clarke. There was no judgement in her eyes, only fear and love. It made Clarke's chest ache._

 _Her poor mother._

 _Clarke jerked her thoughts out of that direction and nodded. Andrew Jacobson was a sixteen year old from Wells that was in a couple of her classes. "Well, he just never got over the boy's..._ remarkable _situation," her mother concluded tactfully, wincing at the end._

 _Clarke stood in silence for a moment before she looked at her mother again, "What does that have to do with anything? They locked me up for threatening to expose the system failure, not anything to do with Andrew. I_ saved _his life, for fuck's sake!"_

" _I know, Clarke,_ I know," _her mother reassured, grabbing for Clarke's hands and gripping them tightly in her own. "I saw it with my own eyes. You don't have to convince me._

" _The issue here is that after Kane saw what you did for Andrew, what happened to John Murphy seemed all the more suspicious," Abby continued, talking fast. "He hasn't said anything to anyone else on the Counsel so far, likely because he's worried about sounding like a maniac, but he has dropped some not-so-subtle hints the few times we've been together privately."_

 _Sickening images fluttered across Clarke's vision briefly before she pushed them away. She needed to focus on this very moment, right now, not moments of the past. Not of Murphy._

" _I–I don't know what..." she trailed off._

" _It's okay," her mother whispered, tears in her eyes, "I know, Clarke. I know. You don't have to say anything. I'm just trying to explain that even if you were, for whatever reason, spared from lockup, you wouldn't be safe here," Abby told her with haunted eyes. She looked at her watch. "We don't have much time. You must go soon."_

" _Alright," Clarke agreed, physically shaking herself to push the thoughts away. If Kane knew her secret, this really_ was _her only option. "How am I getting to Earth?" she asked._

 _Her mother gave her a watery smile before she walked to the tall structure in the middle of the room, pulling the sheet off. Clarke's mouth dropped open as she took in the sight of what must have been the last escape pod left on the Ark. It looked rather beat up and busted. Clarke eyed it dubiously._

" _I know it looks pretty rough, but I had it all checked out by the best zero-g mechanic the Ark has," Abby told her. "She assured me that everything is in working order. She is certain it will sustain during reentry."_

" _How about landing?" Clarke asked, grinning with dark humor._

" _Everything is in working order," Abby assured, frowning at Clarke's joke. "But it has to be now. We're running out of time."_

" _How do I work it?" Clarke asked._

" _Raven's programmed the autopilot to engage as soon as you enter the atmosphere. You shouldn't have to do anything," Abby told her as she walked to the escape pod, releasing the airlock and opening the hatch. She walked next to where the pod was, grabbing a large pack that Clarke hadn't noticed before. "Here's some essentials you'll need. Water purification tablets, protein powder, some medicine, clothes, a couple of knives and tools. It was all I was able to get."_

" _Thank you," Clarke said solemnly, taking the pack and tossing it into the pod. She turned back to Abby, fidgeting nervously. The sudden realization that this was the last time she would ever see her mother hit her with the force of a battering ram and she felt an uncomfortable tightness in her chest._

 _Abby seemed to pick up on Clarke's sudden shift in mood, and smiled sadly at her daughter. She crossed the short distance between them, enveloping Clarke in her arms. She kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Clarke."_

" _I love you."_

" _You'll land in the Northeastern part of the United States. Most likely it'll be night when you land, so stay near the pod until you can see where you're going. Find water first, above anything else," her mother advised._

" _Okay," Clarke agreed. She looked over at the pod again, her doubt only growing. That thing barely looked like it would stay put together under her weight, let alone the inferno that was the atmosphere. But really, what did she have to lose?_

 _Her mother let her go. "It's time," she announced._

" _Okay," Clarke agreed, her arms falling to her sides. She strode over to the pod, shifting the bag around so she could properly strap herself into the harness. Her mother stood just outside the pod, hand resting on top of the hatch, waiting to pull it shut._

" _This is the button you'll press to launch," she explained, pointing. Clarke nodded._

" _May we meet again, Clarke," her mother spoke, a strange serenity in her voice. She had done everything in her power to save her daughter, and whatever happened next was out of her hands._

" _May we meet again," Clarke whispered, tears clouding her vision for the first time since the beginning of this awful goodbye._

 _Without another word, her mother closed the hatch, and a small hiss signalled that the airlock was in place. Clarke waited for her mother to unlatch the door they had come through and step back out into the hallway, where she would be safe._

 _Clarke looked around at the metallic surface and sharp angles that had made up her entire life. What would it be like on Earth? Nothing like this, she hoped._

Now or never, _Clarke thought anxiously before she pressed the launch button. There was a great groan of gears that reached her ears, and she wondered how this was going to work_. _She highly doubted this was going to be a pleasant experience. Just as the thought crossed her mind, her stomach was in her throat as she began to free fall through space._

 _There was endless spinning, the universe flying past her at an alarming rate. She held on to the straps of her harness with white knuckles and closed her eyes. Her mother had told her that all she had to do was press the launch button. That was it. That's all she knew how to do. If something went wrong, she was well and truly fucked._

 _Then came a moment of weightlessness, her hair spiraling towards the ceiling of the pod and her feet lifting ever so slightly even with the harness in place. It was still and calm and Clarke reveled in it._

 _Suddenly Clarke's peace was shattered by a powerful shaking that spread throughout the pod. It was a bone rattling, teeth chattering type of shake and it grew hotter and hotter inside the small box. Through the small window slightly above her, she could see flames dancing across the outmost layer of metal._

 _Cooking her from the outside in._

 _She looked through that window, what must have been minutes starting to feel like hours, and noticed a small chip in the very leftmost corner of the plating. She watched with morbid curiosity as a thin line began to slowly spread out across the pane, as if etching itself into the glass. Just as she felt like her body couldn't stand the heat any longer, a crunching sound came from above and Clarke closed her eyes. She didn't know if she imagined the flames dancing across her eyelids or if they were really there, and couldn't find the strength to open her eyes and check._

 _She fell into darkness._

. ... .

Clarke opened her eyes blearily, the effort almost painful. Her face felt wet and sore, but as she looked over the rest of her form, she seemed to not have sustained too many injuries. There were loud series of beeps coming from inside of the 'scape pod and every couple of minutes there was a flash of electricity coming from a couple of live wires that must have loosened during landing.

With a sudden wave of claustrophobia, Clarke reached down and unlatched the door. It propelled forward, and she coughed as she was greeted with a mouthful of smoke and rocket fuel fumes. She struggled out of the pod, trying to pull herself to her feet. At once she was hit by the force of Earth's gravity and though she found herself outside of the pod, she fell face forward into the dirt.

Pulling herself up, she struggled to her feet, grabbing a nearby tree for support. Though her knees felt unsteady, she eventually stepped away from the tree, spinning as she looked around. Everything felt alien and overwhelming, from the smell of the trees to the pleasant breeze that filtered through her hair. Almost without thought, she turned her eyes to the sky.

Clarke found herself falling to her knees again as she saw the Ark, glittering thousands and thousands of miles up in space. A loud cry passed through her and her vision blurred as she realized she was alone. Truly alone on an uninhabited planet. Her butt fell into the dirt and she wrapped her arms around her knees, rocking slightly as sobs wracked through her frame.

She wondered if perhaps it would have been kinder for her mother to have let her die up there. Sure, radiation had not killed her immediately, but it was a possibility in the coming days. Who knew the kind of dangers this new planet had? If not radiation, then perhaps a savage beast or poisonous food would be the end of her.

Clarke, remembering her mother's advice, did not stray from the pod for the remainder of the night. Instead, she stayed close, waiting for the sun to rise as she cried herself dry.

. ... .

Lexa sat upon her throne of antlers, war paint in place and flipping her knife carelessly in her hand. Before her was a small gathering of advisors from _Trigedakru,_ the only clan aware of the mysterious woman's arrival. They were awaiting a scout, one who had spent the day before observing the woman to find out her purpose here. It was as if she had simply fallen out of the sky, which caused quite a stir. There were old legends of people being sent down from the heavens, but that was supposed to be all they were: legends. There hadn't been a Skyfaller in living memory, until two days ago.

It definitely caused some controversy.

The girl's arrival had thoroughly divided her clan. Some wanted her dead, others wanted her to be watched and avoided, while the most sympathetic wanted to bring the poor girl in. The tense debate had come to a head the previous day, which involved two opposing members having a duel in the middle of the street. It led her to call this meeting today, so they could finally come to a decision.

She hadn't been out into the forest since that first night, as it would seem odd for the _Heda_ to show such interest when she could easily delegate the task. And so that is what she did, despite the fact that she found herself _interested_ in the girl who fell from the sky. She remembered her _nomon_ telling her stories about how when the Great War had begun, some people had fled to the heavens, where there they might still be. Lexa had always been interested in these tales and had tried to imagine what life would be like in the sky, spending her days staring at the clouds and daydreaming. Of course, that ended when she had begun her training to be Commander. Still, some curiosity remained.

Though her people were calm and quiet in her presence, she could feel the tension in the room. They awaited the scout impatiently, casting scathing looks at the ones they knew opposed them. It irritated her, mostly because she knew her path as a Commander should be clear. This strange girl was the root of tension in her long-sought peace, and should be removed. It was her own curiosity and personal feelings that caused her to hesitate.

"The Scout is late, _Heda_ ," Indra said from her side, her voice not quite a whisper but yet not loud enough to be heard by anyone not within three feet. "The leaders become impatient."

" _Shof op_ , Indra," Lexa ordered lazily, her hand never wavering as she flipped her knife. It was a calming action, allowing her maintain her outward appearance of tranquility. " _Oso_ _hodan op._ " _We will wait._

Minutes passed and stretched until almost an hour more had passed, and only then did a guard enter the tent and announce that the Scout had arrived. Lexa waved him through with a mere flick of her wrist, eyes landing on the Scout.

He was a man known as Lincoln, one of the _Trigedakru's_ warriors, who was becoming a very valuable asset to Lexa. Though he was a warrior, he was also gifted with the brush and was able to create multiple maps of the area that they had lacked previously. He also created several bound sets of pages that listed different nuts, berries and plants that they used in the _goufa's_ education. The young ones seemed to learn easier after having already been exposed to the image on paper.

"You are late, _Linkon,_ " Lexa announced, glancing at him with carefully designed disinterest.

" _Sanchof_ , _Heda,_ " he said quietly, lowering himself onto one knee before her, several paces back from her throne.

Lexa raised an eyebrow at his apology, "No matter, tell me of what you have seen," she ordered calmly.

He pulled his oddly bound sheets of paper from his bag, holding it out to her. Lexa glanced at Indra wordlessly and Indra approached Lincoln, retrieving the small item before delivering it to her. She grabbed it, lowering it into her lap as she began to turn through the pages. The first image was of what she assumed was the girl, though her hair was dark due to the ink he had used. Lexa ran a finger over the page, impressed at Lincoln's attention to detail.

Lexa turned the page again and it portrayed what looked to be the girl's makeshift campsite. It appeared to be next to a small stream, and was rudimentary at best as far as setup. A couple of sticks were imbedded in the ground, and some sort of tarp covered them in a feeble attempt to protect from the elements. Lexa sneered at the obvious lack of skill depicted in the image. The girl had no set of defenses other than what appeared to be a rather flimsy piece of material. She was lucky her base had not been discovered by the _kulags_ that inhabited her area. Surely she would not have survived such an assault.

She flipped to the next page and her eyes widened in shock and anger at what she saw. She raised her eyes to look at Lincoln, who met her eyes only for only a moment before lowering them submissively. "What. Is. _This?_ " she demanded slowly, her words coming out through clenched teeth.

"It is what I saw, _Heda_ ," was the man's simple reply.

" _Spicha,"_ she hissed, watching as the man fidgeted nervously. _Liar_.

" _Sanchof, Heda_ ," he said quickly, a slight look of alarm crossing his face before he quickly slipped back into the mask of a warrior. "It is the truth. She is _Dhillarearën_. I have seen it with my own eyes."

His proclamation was greeted by a moment of silence. Then, all of the gathered started talking, an angry outrage that exploded all at once. For a moment, she sat numb. The image she had seen and Lincoln's words had left her truly shaken. But she had never known the man to be a liar, despite her earlier accusation.

" _Em pleni!_ " Lexa growled, rising to her feet. _Enough_. The room fell silent, her men looking at her with grudging obedience. She took Lincoln's book, ripping the offending page out from its binding and folding it carefully before securing it in a notch in her armor.

"If _Linkon_ states this is what he saw, we must watch this girl to learn more," she announced. A few men started to voice their displeasure loudly.

The loudest of all was a man named Quint. He had always been a thorn in her side, even as a young warrior in training. Usually though, he was more of an annoyance than anything else. He was the leader of a small village located to the west, about a three hour ride on horseback from Indra's. He was known to enjoy pushing the boundaries of what he could say or do to offend her as _Heda_ without _technically_ doing something that would warrant the her reign of displeasure.

" _Trigedakru,"_ he called. "Here me now, if our _Heda_ is afraid to deal with the _branweda, I_ will! That wretched woman shouldn't be breathing our air," he growled distastefully.

Fury filled Lexa's body but she made sure to only display a mask of apathy-tinged distaste as her eyes remained glued on Quint.

Lexa said nothing, made no movement. She didn't even blink.

Smoke began to appear at the slanderous man's feet and the other men gathered quickly stepped back, alarmed. Fire began to spark and grew quickly, licking at the bottom of Quint's fur pants. The offender looked at her in panic, reaching down to frantically pat at the flames crawling up his pant legs.

It was no matter. The flames continued unhindered, climbing slowly up his form, the burnt smell of treated fur filling the tent. It wasn't until the flames danced at the tip of Quint's beard that the stubborn man finally broke, falling to his knees and prostrating himself before her.

" _Sanchof, Heda_ ," he howled, a heavy sheen of sweat viable on his face. " _Beja, beja pul we." Please stop._

Abruptly, the flames were gone, nothing left to indicate they were ever there other than the smoke in the air and the scorched imprint on his clothes. The flames had not harmed his flesh, Lexa made sure of that, but the heat had certainly quieted his loud mouth.

"I said _enough_ ," she growled, her Commander mask slipping back on with practiced grace. " _Indra_ , _Gostos, Onya,"_ she called, "you will come with me. The rest of you will await our return. No action will be taken until I am back," she commanded, her eyes looking over the gathered men, "If anyone disobeys my command, they will meet a _natrona_ death," she warned without flinching. "Now _go_."

They went.

"Was that necessary, _Heda_? Such displays of power are unlike you," Anya asked, and though her tone was nonchalant there was a knowing in her eyes.

"If what _Linkon_ says is true, then yes. It was necessary."

. ... .


	2. Chapter 2

Clarke wearily made away from the wreckage of her escape pod, strapping the loaded bag her mother had prepared for her over her shoulder. She remembered what her mother had said; as soon as she was able, her first priority was to find water. She found herself snorting at that piece of advice. _Of course_ she needed to find water.

She had trudged through the forest for half a day, jumping at every odd sound that reached her ears. At times the Earth seemed much quieter than the Ark had, with it's constant machine hum and gear grinding. There was a calmness to Earth, a sense of tranquility that the Ark had lacked. But on the other hand, there was a never ending sense of life and movement that seemed to pulsate through even the air around her. The breeze through the air to the echoing of birds in the trees to the soft, spongy grass beneath her feet; all full of life.

As different from the Ark as she could ever imagine. Clarke remembered hoping for the same as she pressed the launch button. Wish granted, she supposed.

It didn't take her long to find a source of water, a small stream that seemed to have a strong, quick current towards the deeper end of it. That was good. Fast water was clean water. Well, as clean as water could be when it's on a radiation soaked planet, she supposed.

Clarke spent the first day combing through the surrounding forest, trying to find suitable materials to build some sort of shelter. Though she had been rather proficient in her Earth Skills class, she could easily admit that there was a lack of practical skill in her lessons. _Knowing_ how to do something and actually _doing_ it were two very different things. She managed to find a couple of large sticks and carry them back to camp. From there, she dug deep into the sand that edged around the stream, placing the sticks into the ground before filling the holes back with sand. She managed to place seven of them in the ground before she went to grab the parachute she had cut loose from the escape pod, using it as a tarp to cover the sad, little hut she had created.

When she was done, she stood back from her work and glanced it over dubiously. Clarke sighed. It looked as though a good wind would knock it over. Hopefully she could improve it over time.

Until then, her stomach was twisting painfully with hunger. Prisoners on the Ark were given half-rations(which consisted of a tasteless, beige paste and a cup of water) and it had already been a full day since she'd had even that. Weary with exhaustion and hunger, she picked a thin but sturdy branch she had collected earlier and started the process of sharpening one end with her knife, attempting to fashion a spear.

It took a lot longer than she was anticipating but eventually she tested the point and it seemed sharp enough to pierce flesh. She then looked towards the stream.

 _Where there's water, there's food_ , Clarke rationalized. Sighing, she began to strip herself of her boots and socks, placing them carefully on the dry sand next to her. She rolled her pants to the knee before she stood, wobbling only slightly.

Her first steps into the stream made her wince. Though the air was hot and humid, the water was _ice_ cold. _No matter_ , she thought as her eyes scanned below. About two feet in, the sand changed to small rocks, and Clarke stepped carefully, trying to ignore how slimy and gross they felt under her toes. About three feet in, with the water level about mid calf, she spotted movement. A little off to the side she saw a small school of fish, picking at the loose rocks with their mouths. Maybe eating the algae that grew there?

Despite her slow and careful approach, they scurried away as soon as she came close to them. Exhaling loudly in impatience, Clarke resigned herself to waiting. If there was food here, the fish would be back.

Clarke just needed to be very still and _very_ silent.

And so that's what she did. Feet about shoulder length apart and arm raised to strike, she waited, imagining herself as a statue. Eventually, almost cautiously, the fish began to return, swimming around her legs as they picked at the rocks below her feet.

Clarke didn't strike right away. She watched them for a couple moments, until she saw the biggest, fattest one of them all join the school. Clarke's mouth watered longingly. She had never eaten fish before, but had read that they were a good source of protein. It was bound to be a lot tastier than beige paste, she was sure.

With that in mind, she brought the spear down with a quick flick of her wrist, hitting the stones on the ground before she brought it out of the water. Clarke cursed as she saw that not only was the sharp end empty, but the fish were fleeing as well. Groaning quietly, she resigned herself to wait until their return.

This process repeated itself twice more and calm determination quickly transformed into anger. She was _hungry_. Sure, she had protein powder to keep her going, but it didn't fill the aching hole that was where her stomach used to be.

With anger came clarity, and she chucked the spear back onto dry land. She was sure to have need of it in the future. Turning back to the water, she waited impatiently for the fish to return. This time was much like the first time, where she continued to stare and watch long after the fish returned.

Clarke had never done this sort of thing before. Well, she _had_ , just never for this kind of purpose. Still, she found herself relaxing, closing her eyes as she focused on the water around her. Never before had she been surrounded with so much of it at once, and before her desperation to catch some dinner, she hadn't even taken a moment to consider it. There was so much negativity rooted in what she was able to do that she avoided thinking about it at all cost.

Now though, she was alone. There was no one to hide from here, no reason _not_ to do it. It might even be something she should learn how to use more of now that she was on Earth. A tool to aid her survival.

Clarke let out a deep breath she had been holding, forcing herself to relax. As she continued breathing in and out, a strange sort of second Sight began to materialize behind her closed eyelids. She could somehow _sense_ the fish as they glided through and around her legs. That was when she felt it.

Clarke couldn't really put the feeling into words. It was a tightening in her lungs, a rush of adrenaline, her pulse roaring in her ears. It was a tendril of power that formed in her stomach, spreading through her veins and causing stars to burst behind her eyelids.

Clarke opened her eyes but the Sight remained, seeing the fish as little orbs of light as they swam around her. Holding her hands about six inches apart from each other, she tried to picture a physical barrier around the fish, visualizing a sphere that moved with the movements of the water but stopped the fish from breaking through. She felt a layer of sweat break out across her forehead but she refused to break focus now, so close to her goal.

Clarke could see the outline of her sphere begin to form, glowing with a light brighter than the fish around it. She felt a rush of excitement fill her and the light dimmed dangerously. She fought to push it down, desperately not wanting to break her concentration. To her relief, her pulse began to slow again and the light brightened once more. Now was the difficult part; she had to dance the line between mental and physical as she waited for a fish to enter her trap. Once it was in, she had to cross into physical in a split second, before the fish swam right through.

Clarke added more energy to her power, though the pressure was almost painful now. It was as if she had made a running start towards an edge of a cliff, but had to stop and wait right at the edge while somehow retaining all her force and velocity. Still, hunger was a good motivator as any, and when a fish swam into her sphere she _slammed_ her energy down upon it. Her force caused a physical disruption in the water, causing the other fish to swim away in panic. Only one remained, butting its head at her barrier to try to free itself. Clarke could feel it as it touched the edges of her trap, but her power held strong. Holding back her satisfaction she turned her focus on to the next difficult part.

Clarke had to maintain the sphere while also lifting it out of the stream, something that had to be done _very_ carefully. If her sphere faded or she accidently dropped it, she would have to start at the very beginning and she did _not_ have the strength to do so.

It was in her hands that Clarke felt her power so she decided to attempt to use the tendrils independently from the other. She tightened one hand into a fist and the sphere around the fish glowed brighter in result. She focused on maintaining her breathing as she flattened her other hand, trying to get a sense of how the sphere felt. It was slippery and wet, obviously, so she kept her hand steady until she felt used to the texture. Once she felt confident, she began experimentally bobbing her flattened hand up and down. Clarke smiled as she saw the uppermost section break the surface, it's circular outline easily differentiated from the flat surface of the stream.

Her confidence grew and she slowly began lifting it from the water, inch by inch. It became more difficult as the sphere removed itself completely from the water and for one awful millisecond her focus drifted and the outline shuddered dangerously. Forcing down her panic, she redoubled her efforts to keep its shape. The sphere rose till just about her midsection and she carefully– _oh so very carefully_ – started edging it towards land.

It was an odd sight to see, certainly. A perfect sphere of water, floating in midair while also occupying a fish. The fish didn't seem too happy about it either, frantically swimming in the small space allowed, ramming its head into the edges. _You are my dinner_ , Clarke thought with determination. With that in mind, she flung the thing towards the edge of the water and it hit the ground, exploding from the force of the landing.

Her Sight cleared and the world returned to normal. Well, as normal as it could look for one who had spent less than twenty four hours on the ground. Clarke looked to the shore and saw the fish flopping helplessly, the only evidence of what occurred being a large circular wet mark on the otherwise dry sand. Clarke smiled.

She walked back to the shore, feeling considerably weaker than before but satisfied. She had done it on the first try! Having never used her power in such a tangible and obvious manner before, she had actually accomplished her task. Picking up her fish, Clarke traveled the short distance back to her makeshift tent before she sliced the thing down the middle, pulling out the guts and insides with disgusted fascination. She tossed the entrails back into the stream.

 _Well, that wasn't too difficult_ , Clarke thought proudly, looking down at the now lifeless, gutted fish before her. Only then did it occur to her that she hadn't even begun to start a fire.

She groaned.

. ... .

Night had fallen as Lexa and her companions settled themselves into the trees, expecting to have to sit the night in order to see any activity from the girl. They were incorrect, however, as the girl seemed to still be moving about when they arrived. Lexa cursed as she saw the girl gutting another fish. They most likely had just missed what they were trying to witness, if the drawing Lincoln had depicted was to be believed.

The girl had a fire lit, though it was small enough not to draw too many predators, Lexa noted approvingly. The girl sliced through the scales of the fish with an impressively steady hand before laying the fillets on a small rock she had put in the middle of the flames.

The girl was silent as she munched on a strip of meat already cooked, most likely from a previous catch. Though the moon wasn't full tonight, that small light and the light that was cast from her fire illuminated enough of the girl's features for Lexa to finally get a good look at her. She blinked in surprise, eyebrows rising despite herself.

The strange girl was attractive, no point in denying it. But more than that, she looked _different_ from anyone in her clans. Her hair was pale and bright, almost like the sun at midday. Lexa had seen the type of shade before, only darker, more like a light brown, never pure gold. Pale eyes that Lexa couldn't quite differentiate the color of. Even her body's shape was different; while her people were either obviously muscled or thin and agile, the girl was very thin, almost dangerously so. Yet she also seemed softer as well, the lack of scars and skill making her seem almost like a child.

The longer they sat in the trees, the more convinced Lexa became that this girl was not _Dhillarearën._ Having the Sight, Lexa normally had an extremely good eye for spotting others. There was always a glow about them, some sort of inner light that Lexa could make out.

This girl did not have it.

Still, Lexa's personal curiosity prevented her from calling it a night and heading home. She pulled Lincoln's drawing out from her armor, the pale light of the moon illuminating it just enough to make out. It was of the girl, pants rolled up to the knee as she stood in the stream. She had a look of extreme concentration on her face as she held her hands out in front her. Before her was a fish, trapped in a bubble of water as it floated through the air.

What a strange use of power. Lincoln had told Lexa that the girl had attempted to use a spear to catch the fish, but that she had not been very skilled at the task. Lexa supposed that the girl's methods were rather clever if she had lacked the skill to catch the fish the practical way, but it was certainly an odd sight to see.

"No!"

The exclamation echoed through the otherwise quiet night, causing Lexa to pull her eyes away from the paper and look back to the girl. The girl tried to stand quickly but slipped on the sand, landing on her stomach instead. She quickly pulled herself up, running until she reached the very edge of the stream. She fell forward onto her knees, completely unconcerned with what must be ice cold water.

" _No_ ," the girl cried out again, her voice pained. Lexa, confused by the girl's odd behavior, tried to figure out what was causing her distress. She scanned the surrounding area and saw nothing out of the norm, nothing that would indicate any danger. Still confused, Lexa looked back to the girl. Upon closer look, Lexa noticed that the girl's head was tilted upwards, trained to the sky.

Lexa followed her line of sight, looking up. For a moment, Lexa was left breathless by the beauty of what she was seeing. It was hundreds and hundreds of shooting stars that filled the night sky, spreading in all directions. She looked over to her companions and saw that they were similarly transfixed, even Gustus. She filed that away to use at his expense later.

A painful, grief-stricken howl exploded the silence of the night and Lexa jumped at the sudden noise. Looking back to the girl, Lexa discovered that she was where the dreadful sound was originating from. It was a pitiful, spirit-burning type of sound, and for a moment Lexa felt almost guilty for being witness to it. As if she were looking in on a private moment that she had no right to see. The girl's back was to Lexa and her companions, so no one saw the girl's face. Lexa thought that was best. One small dignity the girl retained.

 _At least this confirmed one thing_ , Lexa thought uncomfortably. _The strange girl definitely hailed from the sky_.

" _Heda_ ," Anya whispered from her perch beside her, " _Lok fis em op._ " _Look at her_.

Lexa, who _had_ been looking at her, was confused for a moment. What was there to see? The girl had fallen oddly silent and still now, the painful cries stopping almost as suddenly as they had begun. It was then she saw. The stream the girl was kneeling in, not the girl herself was of interest.

The stream, which normally had a rather quick current, had gone completely still. It was odd to see, but it paled in comparison to the small droplets of water that were slowly beginning to rise from the water. It was similar to the drawing that Lincoln had depicted, with the water simply lifting into the air, but also different. The droplets were small and there were many. A reverse rain. The droplets centered around the Skygirl, slowly rising higher. Lexa watched, transfixed.

Almost as though the girl had been shielding herself, the light that Lexa had noted absent earlier suddenly exploded in her eyes. The girl was luminous, so bright it almost hurt to look at her.

" _Dhillarearën,_ " Lexa whispered, awestruck. The amount of power that lay inside the girl was astonishing. Other than Lexa's teacher and herself, Lexa had never seen such power in the soul of another.

" _Kulag,_ " came the rough whisper of Gustus, who looked just as shocked as she felt. The word roused Lexa of her inner musings and she scanned the waterline. As Gustus had warned, there was a beast nearing the girl. The blackness of the beast's fur had hidden its approach, and Lexa inwardly cursed as she realized how close it was to the newly discovered _Dhillarearën._ They had all been distracted at once, something that had never happened before.

" _Frag em op_ ," Lexa commanded.

The man said nothing, simply pulling his bow off his back.

The beast was within feet of the girl, who continued to remain completely still. Lexa found that she felt genuinely anxious for the girl, this odd girl from the sky who was as defenseless as she was powerful. The beast let out a roar, a type of warning call the _kulag_ used to startle its prey. _Kulag_ prefered their prey to run, enjoying the chase. They were vicious monsters, the twisted type of animal that killed for fun as well as food. Not many animals would attack a _Dhillarearën_ , but a _kulag_ was one of the few.

The girl's head snapped in the direction of the sound, and for the first time since the girl had cried out, Lexa saw her face in its entirety. Lexa recoiled in shock and horror. The girl's eyes were literally _glowing_ , a cool blue that Lexa assumed was in relation to her actual eye color.

The Skygirl was entering Complete Focus.

"Run!" Lexa yelled in _gonasleng_ , leaping down from her tree to the ground below. Once her feet hit the soft forest floor, Lexa began her mad dash in the absolute opposite direction of the girl. Indra, Anya, and Gustus fell in line around her, not exactly knowing why they were running but knowing whatever had caused their _Heda_ to flee in such a matter was something to be feared.

They had only run a few hundred feet when an unseen force hit them in their backs, propelling them forward and landing them face down in the dirt. Lexa was the first to come out of her daze, struggling to her knees. She groaned, grabbing her head.

Indra came through next, coughing. " _Yu ne sis deau, Heda?_ " she asked. _Commander, do you need help?_

"No," Lexa replied, standing. " _Onya, Gostos, yu ne sis deau?"_ she asked. They were both coming to, groaning. They both replied in the negative.

Satisfied that there was no injury to her companions, Lexa looked back to the direction they had fled from, There was no sign of serious damage to the forest around them, other than a few snapped branches. Lexa breathed a sigh of relief and began walking back the direction they had fled from.

Her companions did not speak as they fanned out around her, all of them on high alert. The events of the evening had not gone as planned, and the shock of finding out that the girl was actually _Dhillarearën_ had definitely unnerved her companions. If Lexa were being honest, she felt the same.

 _Dhillarearën_ were rare even in her culture, with only one being born every five thousand births. Most were only slightly gifted, having a general affinity with their _brignsir_. This girl, who knew nothing of their culture, was dangerous. An untrained _Dhillarearën_ of her power could easily wipe out an entire village.

When Lexa came to the small clearing before the stream, she felt momentary panic. The girl was on her side, her head laying at the very edge of the stream with her long, light hair being pushed out into the current, which thankfully had restarted. She was covered in blood.

Next to her was the _kulag_ , or what was once the formidable animal. It was still, which meant it was dead. _Kulag_ did not stop moving unless there was a reason. Lexa, concerned for the girl, made her way over and pulled her away from the water. She was dead weight, completely knocked out, but still much too light. Lexa checked for a pulse on her neck. It was there, strong and steady, to Lexa's relief. The Commander checked the girl's eyes, finding nothing but white. Definitely out.

Satisfied that the girl would wake soon, Lexa turned her focus onto the _kulag_. She touched the beast's fur, pulling back in shock. It was frozen as if from the inside out, skin expanded to accommodate what must be solid ice within. What remained of the animal she doubted even the wolves would touch.

" _Heda_ ," Gustus said from beside her, also leaning down to touch the slain animal, "how was this done?" he asked.

Lexa inspected the girl's hands, which were the most bloodstained. "Skygirl froze the beast from the inside," she told her companion, her voice awed. "Such power...how did she come to possess it?" Lexa asked outloud, more to herself than to Gustus.

" _Foldyenra_ smiles down upon her as she does all _Dhillarearën_ ," Anya piped in from behind them. Lexa turned to look at the woman over her shoulder, doubtful. Anya continued, "True, there has never been a _Dhillarearën_ from the Sky before, but even you of little faith cannot deny what you have seen."

Lexa raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn't comment. Turning back to the girl, Lexa glanced her over once more before she stood. She motioned to Gustus and then the girl, and dutifully he picked her up, the girl's head laying against her companion's wide chest. The first thing they needed to do was remove her from her source of power, namely the stream. The second thing was to wait for her to wake up.

. ... .

The first night in Clarke's makeshift shelter was not a comfortable one. Perhaps she should have thought better than to make her camp on sand because it was _everywhere_. In her hair, her shoes, the corners of her mouth, in between her toes, underneath her eyelids. It made her feel gritty and disgusting, but she couldn't bring herself to move base. It was close to the stream and she found herself enjoying the proximity.

On the second day, Clarke set about cleaning herself up. Blood had dried on her face from where it had been cut open from the landing and she was sure she looked ghastly. She kneeled in front of the stream, trying to get a good look at herself. The cut was deep and could probably use stitches but Clarke decided to hold off on her medical supplies until she had an injury that really called for them. Still, she washed her face in the stream, scrubbing the blood away. The day was hot and she found the cold water refreshing.

After she was cleaned up, she looked around at her campsite wearily. Though this _was_ Earth and the visual stimuli alone was enough to keep her from being bored, a sense of listlessness fell upon her.

She was alone in this alien world, had no purpose. On the Ark, she had been on the path of becoming a great doctor. Healing came naturally to Clarke in more ways than one and so it had been common sense for her to follow in her mother's footsteps. Now though, what was she to do with herself?

Thinking of her mother stirred some dark thoughts. It was impossible to not think of their last meeting. Unconsciously, Clarke found herself looking to the sky. If her mother had been correct, tonight would be the night that over half a thousand souls would be released into the universe. And the worst part was, it was all for _nothing_. Earth seemed plenty survivable, at least so far. She hadn't felt any of the warning signs of radiation poisoning yet. No vomiting, no fever. She _did_ have a headache but she also had a head injury, so that didn't concern her.

The truth was though, even if Earth _wasn't_ survivable, even if she had already been exposed to enough radiation to kill her in the coming weeks, she considered herself the luckiest member of the Ark. Even if she did die, at least she would die with her feet on the ground and fresh air in her lungs. Clarke thought of all the mothers and fathers that would die today, possibly even her own. Abby had broken the law by sending Clarke down here. Being that she was the top surgeon on the Ark and a member of the Counsel might save her, but with Kane's legislation passing it seemed like a shift of power had occurred. It was a very real possibility that tonight would be the night of her mother's death.

Clarke physically shook herself to pull away from awful, horrible thoughts, Clarke looked around. She needed to _do_ something. Something other than sit here and stew.

She spent the day rummaging through the surrounding forest. She collected more sticks for firewood, as well as larger ones in hopes of upgrading her shelter. Clarke stumbled upon a thick bush filled with berries at one point and her mouth watered at with curiosity at what _fruit_ would taste like, but she held herself back. She couldn't identify what kind they were and she knew enough to know that some berries were _very_ poisonous. She found an odd looking tree, low to the ground with long, thin leaves and broke them all off, thinking she might use them to weave into some sort of bowl or cup or the like. Clarke brought them back to camp and quickly found out that she was horrible at weaving. It didn't help that the leaves were irregular in width and length and she quickly scrapped the idea, using them instead to tie some sticks together to provide her shelter more structure.

Feeling like she had done all she could with that, Clarke added a couple of small sticks to the fire she had been nursing since she first lit it the night before. It had been a difficult process and her hands still had the blisters to show for it. It was small, with stones she had pulled out of the stream laid in a circle around it. One large rock lay in the center, where she had cooked her first fish the night before.

The sky was beginning to darken and Clarke decided to catch another fish for the night. She still had some left from the night before but even cooked, she wasn't sure how long it would keep. Taking her shoes and socks off, she rolled her pants up and walked towards the stream.

It was much as yesterday was, but this time Clarke knew what to expect. The process was easier and came more naturally. Her Sight didn't return and so she saw it this time with clear eyes, and it was an odd thing to see. Clarke actually felt a little bad for the fish this time around; it was kind of cute. She was able to raise her sphere higher than before, almost eye level, looking at the creature curiously. It butted against her trap with its head and Clarke frowned.

"I'm sorry, little guy," Clarke said sadly. "I need to eat and you're the only available food that I know won't poison me," she explained, "Unless you're a fish that has a weird, slow acting neurotoxin or something," she considered, her eyebrows drawing together for a moment in concern. "You aren't going to slowly poison me, are you little guy?" she asked. Maybe it was her imagination, but she was pretty sure the fish was looking at her with baleful eyes.

Then, Clarke realized she was talking to her dinner. While it was still alive. A fish, as if it could actually talk back.

She had definitely been in solitary too long.

With that thought, she began walking to the shore, guiding the small sphere to the area she had placed what remained of the weave she had been attempting to fashion and laid the fish on it. The sphere collapsed upon contact with the surface but the fish remained, flopping sadly in the open air. Now that she wasn't nearly insane from hunger and weakness, this part gave her hesitation as well.

Clarke couldn't exactly remember how she had done it the night before. She was pretty sure that the first thing she had done was cut the poor creature down the middle before ripping out its insides while it was still alive. Clarke winced at the thought.

Steeling herself, Clarke decided the most humane thing she could think of was to chop it's head off before she gutted it. She did it quickly with a quick slice of her knife. Abruptly, the fish stilled and Clarke was able to proceed without much guilt. She made an incision down the length of the stomach and made quick work of the insides.

The sky was just about completely dark as she finished filleting the fish, removing as many bones as she could. Clarke sat next to the fire now, placing the strips of meat down on the inner rock. Then, she waited, munching contently on her last bit of already cooked fish. It was slightly greasy and had a strange, foreign texture as she chewed but as she had guessed it tasted _infinitely_ better than beige paste.

Clarke flipped the fish using a small stick she had fashioned similarly as her spear, but on a smaller scale. It took patience and a steady hand, but was much more reliable than sticking her hands into the flames. When that was done, she rested back on a dry log she had discovered that day, looking out into the forest across the stream. The moon was waning tonight and casted little light upon her surroundings, but the small sounds of the animals of the forest calmed her, almost assuring her that she was not alone. For a moment, she felt almost relaxed and her mind was clear of thought.

Movement caught her peripheral vision and she looked up mindlessly. Far above her, hundreds of thousands of miles away, what looked like shooting stars were erupting. More and more appeared, streaking through the sky and surrounding the blinking light that was the Ark like a heavenly halo in the sky. It was beautiful, majestic even, but Clarke's stomach sunk at the sight. Its beauty was a deception; the magnificent display actually a horrendous tragedy.

A mass funeral.

"No!" she cried, lunging upwards in an attempt to get to her feet. The sand did little as far as traction went, however, and she found herself pitched forward, onto her stomach. She kicked repeatedly until her boots found grip and she stumbled to her feet. She got as close to the Ark as she could, and since the Ark was hundreds of thousands of miles away, that meant until she was ankle deep in the stream. Never once had her eyes left the sky.

" _No_ ," she cried again, her vision blurring and tears spilling over as more and more streaks appeared above her, until there were too many to count. Even to her own ears, her voice was high, keening with grief. She fell forward onto her knees, completely disregarding the ice water that was lapping at her thighs. She sobbed, loud painful gasps that hurt her chest.

So many families had been destroyed tonight, so many innocent lives lost. Sons and daughters growing up without mothers or fathers or both, husband or wives caring for their children without their wives or husbands. Innocent people, going about their day at work, ruthlessly culled so that others might survive a year or two longer. To _sustain_ the human race at all cost. Clarke, for the first time, wondered if the human race _deserved_ to be sustained.

Soon she was grieving not just for the whole, but also her personal losses. She had never asked for this, had never asked for _any_ of this. She had never asked to be born into a dying civilization. Had never _asked_ for her father to be the one to discover the system failure and be put to death for trying to do the right thing. Had never _asked_ to be born a freak of nature. Had never _asked_ for her mother to sacrifice herself for her. Had never _asked_ to be shipped to Earth and bear witness to this atrocity. The injustice and grief and anger burned inside of her, the flames licking at her veins and her eyes and her chest. There was a rapid building of pressure and Clarke let out a loud, twisted scream of grief and pain. Her throat burned from the force of it, but it was the only relief from the hot, blinding pain in the rest of her body. She felt like she was a rubber band, stretched too far and straining to stay together. In an offhanded sort of way, she wondered how high of a threshold the human body had at sustaining pain, for surely she must be dying.

Without warning the rubber band holding her together _snapped_ and in an instant her Sight appeared before her. There was no concentration or focus done to awaken it, it simply materialized, and with it came a sudden wave of calmness. It was still. Clarke could feel her grief and anger simmering below the surface, but Clarke instead clung to the detached sense of serenity.

Clarke's Sight was stronger this time, deeper almost, and the world before her was filled with light. She could see _everything_. Small orbs of light in the water, what must be fish. Hundreds of hundreds of small orbs in the forest across from her, animals which had been hidden from her now right before her eyes. Even the trees looked different, filled with small veins of light that shot up from their roots all the way to the outermost of their branches. All pulsing with energy, life.

She began to notice small drops of water rising from the stream around her, though she did not have to move her head to see them begin to lift. They were an extension of her, and it felt good to use her power in this state. Slowly they rose higher and higher, through no conscious effort Clarke's part, as if her mind was flexing a muscle she had no idea existed all on it's own. Clarke wasn't sure how long she stayed in that state. It could have been minutes or even hours, for all she knew. Time seemed to not exist in this place; a manmade trick that had no use or definition.

Suddenly, a noise pierced her stillness and her head snapped to the side on instinct, no thought proceeding it. There was a creature before her, a large orb of glowing light she had come to associate with all living things. There was something off about this beast though, a dark corruption in that spread through its aura. This monster before her was no innocent creature of the forest, Clarke knew. No, this was a malicious beast, something twisted and wrong.

Her rage, having been kept tentatively at bay, exploded inside of her. _This monster wanted to kill her_ , was the only thought she had. The drops that had been slowly rising from the water rushed to her hands, attaching there and hardening into sharp, deadly looking spikes though Clarke had not willed it. She felt as though she was on autopilot, no thought needed. Her body knew what to do on a deep, basic level and she let it do as it pleased.

She rose from her knees slowly, facing the beast more fully. The monster sank back briefly on it's haunches, preparing to spring. In a fraction of a second, it did just that. Clarke was ready for it though, holding her hands out before her and stabbing into the flesh over it's ribs as it leapt through the air. She held it suspended there, though the foul creature had to have weighed twice as much as her, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

The animal let out an oddly human-sounding scream of pain as wet liquid spilled over her hands, pawing at her as it tried to escape. She held it firm, a dark thrill going through her as the beast struggled uselessly. No, this wasn't enough. _Not yet_. Her rage had morphed into white hot energy that settled in her stomach and she unleashed it wildly and without restraint, basking in the force of her power as it flowed through her body. It was beautiful and intoxicating and _cold_. _So cold_.

The wet, hot blood that poured over her hands began to turn to gas, her cold too frigid to sustain it's shape. Clarke focused on it as the beast's blood began to freeze solid, following a trail back to it's source. She watched with fascination as the monster's body begin to expand as all if it's liquids froze, the expansion only stopping once the beast ceased it's awful screams.

Clarke tossed the thing away from her and as soon as she did, her Sight disappeared. She swayed dangerously as her vision became more and more blurry. Her skin suddenly felt hot; too hot. Unable to sustain her weight any longer, Clarke fell to her knees, landing in the cold water she had been standing in. The cold was a nice contrast with the fire that was her flesh and she found herself unable to stop as her torso fell back, her head landing in the water. It reached just below her eyes on both sides of her face, covering her ears and blocking out all sound.

She felt weak and her vision was retreating at the edges of her eyes. The final thing she saw before the blackness overtook her was the last remaining souls of the Ark, burning up as they reached the edges of the atmosphere.

. ... .


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

 **I suppose that I should start off by clearing up something. I've altered a few things from the canon timeline. I've extended the amount of time that the Ark has been in** **space. In the show, it was 97 years, in my story it's been about 250. That means that about seven generations have lived on the Ark. The total population is right around 3,000. Well, now it's about 2,400. Yikes...**

 **I want to say how thankful I am for everyone that favorited, subscribed and reviewed. I really did not expect to receive so much amazing feedback. It's been very inspiring! This is really my first attempt at writing fanfiction and you've all been very kind.**

 **Also, I would like to add that so far I have only seen up to the end of the second season! I watch it on Netflix when the whole season is available. I've heard some things that _may_ or _may not_ have happened in season three but _I do not want to know!_ Please allow me to live in denial for just a little while longer. I beg you. ):**

. ... .

The Skygirl had been sleeping for many hours, though she occasionally twitched in her sleep, assuring Lexa she was alive. They had brought her away from her makeshift camp, though Lexa had been sure to bring the girl's personal effects. There had been a bag at her camp, and upon inspection it had been filled with clothes made of a strange, unnatural material and assorted tools. There had also been a sealed box, and upon further inspection it was filled with bandages and vials containing some sort of liquids and sharp pins.

They had made a temporary camp in the forest, still a good couple hours on horseback away from Indra's village. Lexa had not wanted to take her into the village before she awoke, unsure of how the Skygirl would react to her people. Lexa had refused to allow the girl to be tied up, though Gustus had been very adamant about doing so. Stranger or not, the girl was _Dhillarearën_ and that alone afforded her some measure of respect.

" _Em haus stedaun gon longda_ ," Anya spoke, the first sentence to be uttered by any of her companions for many hours. _She has slept too long_.

" _Em ste kwel_ ," Lexa explained. _She is weak_. " _Em fayan seintaim uf na em ridon stedaun op_." _She used too much power and needs rest._

" _Estraun kom em sonra,"_ Gustus said harshly, voice full of authority. _Even now she wakes._ " _Shof op dna flou thrugda panwe." Be quiet and follow the plan._

It was true. The girl had begun to toss and turn, small noises escaping her as she fought to stay under sleep's spell. Dawn was quickly approaching, the first streaks of red showing in the sky. Lexa stood, walking to a small pile of dishes that sat unwashed from the night before. She wet a cloth and began to wipe them down, though she focused primarily on the sleeping Skygirl.

The girl abruptly stilled and Lexa knew that she had woken. Her eyes remained closed but there was a certain awareness to her face that wasn't there a moment ago. Pain must have gone through her head as she winced, groaning as she slowly sat up, fisting the sides of her skull. The Skygirl's eyes remained shut tight throughout the process, but Lexa caught Indra's eye and saw that the warrior remained tensed, anticipating anything from the small woman.

The sun was beginning to rise now and bright, morning light shined down upon them through the canopy of trees. A stray beam fell onto the girl's face, illuminating her features. She opened her eyes, squinting against the sun, raising her hand to block the light. Only then did she seem to take in her surroundings, eyes going wide. They flew down to where she had been laying on a thin bedroll, the blanket she was still semi-covered in.

Her eyes slowly rose from her lap and landed upon Gustus, who crouched closest to her. The Skygirl's eyes went even wider as she looked at him, confusion mixed with horror, and she let out a small scream, kicking herself backwards on the ground. Gustus raised his hands in an attempt to calm her but it seemed to have an opposite effect. The girl did not stop scooting backwards until her back hit the rough bark of a nearby tree.

Skygirl's eyes left Gustus, roving around the rest of the camp and taking in Anya, Indra, and Lexa respectively. When the girl's eyes landed on Lexa, she held the girl's stare for just a brief second before lowering her gaze, scrubbing the dish she had been cleaning a little more forcefully to play up her servant routine. It was an act they used often with Strangers to confuse them about who the leader in the group was. It was rather effective.

" _Chon yu bilaik? Chit ste youf nampcha_?" Gustos asked, his voice soft but authoritative. _Who are you? What is your name?_

The girl looked at him blankly, confusion clear on her face. She said nothing in response to Gustus. Instead, the Skygirl looked over Gustus' shoulder, her eyes falling on Lexa and staying there. Lexa, who had been watching the girl's reaction closely, quickly lowered her eyes again.

Gustus shifted his stance to block her view. " _Chon yu bilaik?_ " he asked again, more edge in his voice now. Gustus wasn't a man to repeat himself.

"I don't understand you," the girl said quietly in _gonasleng_ , and Lexa was pleased that they at least shared one common tongue.

"Who are you?" Gustus asked without hesitation, using her language.

The girl's eyes widened momentarily in surprise but narrowed suspiciously almost immediately afterward. She looked back at Lexa for a moment before turning her cheek to Gustus, looking off to the side and refusing to meet his eye. Gustus growled in anger before he pitched forward, grabbing the girl's arm and shaking her violently until she looked at him. He bared his teeth as he spoke, "I asked you a question, girl. I expect an answer," he demanded.

" _Fuck off_ ," the girl growled, trying and failing to rip her arm away. Lexa's eyebrows rose at the girl's audacity. Lexa did not know this word, _fuck_ , but it was obviously not the girl's name and obviously not anything nice. "I'm not telling you shit. I don't know you but I _can_ tell you're not the leader here," she snarled, showing no fear in the face of a man easily three times her size.

"You," the girl continued after Gustus had remained silent, presumably just as surprised as Lexa was at the Skygirl's gall and intuition. She spoke to Lexa and the Commander raised her eyes to meet the girl's. There was a surprising amount of awareness in the Skygirl's gaze and Lexa knew that the servant routine was not working on her. "I want to talk to _you_ ," the girl declared, earning a growl from Indra. Lexa looked over to the dark woman and saw that dislike was clear on her face, her lips pulled back from her teeth in a show of aggression. For all Indra was a fierce friend and warrior, she was known to have a short fuse.

" _Nou, Indra_ ," Lexa commanded. _Stop_. She rose to her full height, and Anya was there to strap her shoulder armor in place. Lexa adjusted it slightly before she looked back to where Gustus was still crouching in front of the Skygirl. " _Bants_ , _Gostos_." _Go away._

Immediately, Gustus stood and walked away from the girl, cursing under his breath about insolent children. Lexa almost grinned but knew that the Skygirl was watching her and held back. Once her companions had given the Skygirl space, Lexa made her approach. The girl did not move to rise, instead looking up at Lexa from where she sat on the ground.

"What is your name?" Lexa asked. The girl squinted, looking up at Lexa through her eyelashes. Briefly, Lexa wondered what that was about.

"Clarke," the girl responded.

"How did you know I was leader?" she asked, eyebrows raised. Considering how much hassle the Skygirl had given Gustus, Lexa hadn't expected her to be so forthcoming.

The girl chewed on her bottom lip, obviously nervous. Her eyes casted over Lexa's shoulders, taking in Indra, Anya, and Gustus warily. She looked back to Lexa, opening her mouth once before closing it. The process repeated several times. Then, there was a shift in the girl's eye and Lexa knew what was about to happen.

"Do _not_ lie to me, Clarke," Lexa warned lightly, just as the Skygirl had opened her mouth to speak again. A red blush appeared on the girl's face and for a moment, Lexa was struck with a flash of something akin to compassion. She shoved it down, surprised by the emotion. The girl was around Lexa's age, maybe a few summers younger at most, and rather attractive with her strange light hair and blue eyes. However, Lexa couldn't let that overwhelm her judgement. The girl was an outsider. An outsider _Dhillarearën_ , yes, but an outsider all the same. She was to be treated with respect but also suspicion.

"You..." Clarke trailed off, obviously uncomfortable. She cleared her throat again, "I don't know how to explain it. You're...you're glowing. It's like a light, only from inside," she finally spit out, almost unwillingly. Her eyes lowered to the ground, almost shamefully.

Lexa stared down at the girl, impressed. The girl could sense the presence of a fellow _Dhillarearën_ , something that few others could do. Lexa could and her teacher could, but only a handful of others she knew had the ability. No one really knew why; perhaps it had to do with the strength of one's relationship with their _brignsir._

"Can you stand?" Lexa asked the girl, choosing not to respond to what Clarke had told her.

Instead of replying, Clarke moved to rise. She got her feet under her for just a moment before she shook violently, landing on her bottom. The movement must have stirred something because only a half second later she was twisting to the side, the contents of her stomach abruptly emptying on the ground beside her.

Most likely, Clarke had used too much power the night before and her body was weakened as result. Lexa had experienced it many times in the beginning days of her training, trying to show off. Lexa wasn't surprised that the girl had the same reaction now; her body was obviously weak to begin with. Clarke had lines caused by hunger on her face, and when her shirt rose up as she twisted to vomit Lexa could see the sharpness of her hipbones.

The girl had more power than her body could stand. It was a wretched state of existence and earned some of Lexa's pity.

" _Ge_ _gon em wada,"_ Lexa ordered over her shoulder. _Get water for her_. A moment later, Anya handed her a small cup carved out of wood. Lexa took it from her before kneeling down before Clarke. Gustus made a noise of disapproval that Lexa ignored as she reached out and gripped Clarke's shoulder, steadying her.

"Take this," Lexa ordered, offering the cup. The Skygirl looked wearily at Lexa, pupils dilated. They came into focus as Clarke looked at the cup, reaching for it with shaking hands. Lexa retreated after Clarke brought the cup to her lips. The girl swished a small bit of it around in her mouth and spat before she emptied the rest of it down her throat.

"So how long have you guys been watching me?" the girl asked after she was done, her voice raw.

"How long have you been here?" Lexa countered, raising her eyebrows.

The girl looked up at the sky, taking in the position of the sun. "Going on three days now, I suspect," the girl replied casually.

"It seems then that you know how long we have been watching you," Lexa said, amused by the girl's nonchalance.

The girl snorted, shaking her head as she stared at the clouds. "There wasn't supposed to be anyone down here. I thought I was alone. I guess I should've figured they would be wrong."

"Down here?" Lexa questioned, looking at the girl's face. Clarke lowered her gaze from the sky and returned Lexa's stare. There was a tiredness in her eyes, defeat in the way her shoulders slumped.

"Yes. Down here. On Earth."

"And from where do you hail, Clarke?" Lexa asked curiously, wanting confirmation from Clarke herself. The Skygirl seemed much less hostile with Lexa than she had been with Gustus and Lexa thought she might have a chance at it.

Clarke sagged against the tree she leaned on, her eyes once again going to the sky. "Far away from here," Clarke sighed. "You can't see it now, but it's up there," she motioned upwards with her hand. "It's a place called the Ark."

"From the sky?"

"Ehhh..." Clarke glanced at Lexa for a moment before looking back up. "I guess. More like space, but yeah. Semantics, I guess," she shrugged.

Lexa's eyebrows furrowed, "Semantics?" she questioned.

"Yeah. It's a branch of linguistics that studies the cognitive structure of the _meaning_ behind words," Clarke trailed off at the look of clear confusion on Lexa's face, frowning. "What?"

"You speak strangely, Clarke of the Sky," Lexa said lightly. It was true; though they could speak the same language, there were some words Clarke spoke that had no _trigedasleng_ equivalent. Being that _trigedasleng_ was Lexa's mother tongue, there were definite gaps in her vocabulary.

Clarke sighed, looking down from the sky to her hands, which still held the empty cup in her lap. "So what now? Why did you take me?" she asked, desolate.

Lexa hesitated, unsure what to say. Though the girl seemed open, Lexa wasn't sure how to go about bringing up the fact that the girl was a _Dhillarearën._ Instead, she crouched down to look the girl squarely in the eye.

"I think you know why, Clarke."

The girl's head snapped up and her eyes widened, and Lexa knew immediately that the Skygirl knew what she was referring to. Her awestruck expression lasted for only a few moments before whatever sadness inside her returned in full force. She lowered her eyes to her lap once more.

"What do you want from me?" she asked quietly, running her thumb against the smooth wood the cup was carved from.

Lexa's eyebrows rose and she looked at the girl curiously. "Clarke," she started, waiting until the girl raised her head to look at her. "Do you know not of what you are?"

The girl's face reddened, as if embarrassed by her lack of knowledge. Her eyebrows furrowed and her lips drew tightly together before she responded. "Do _you_?"

"Of course," Lexa replied swiftly. She had no intentions to lie to the girl or keep her in the dark. The fact that she was _Dhillarearën_ and did not seem to understand the meaning was troublesome. Yes, the girl was young, but by her people's standards, she was well past the age of adulthood. In Lexa's culture one of the Skygirl's power would have been trained as soon as she could understand words. "You are like me, Clarke of the Sky. We are _Dhillarearën._ "

"Dill-har-ee-en?" the girl repeated, though she lacked the proper stress of the syllables. "I've never heard of it. What do you mean, I'm like you?" the girl asked, sounding hesitant. "You mean, you can do...the same things that I can?"

Lexa took a moment to consider, "No," she finally admitted. "There are some similarities to what we can do. But I confess, what you did last night is something that I cannot do. I have never seen anything quite like it."

"What did I do?" Clarke asked, fear making her voice small.

"You do not remember?"

Clarke shook her head, "I ... I remember some of it," she admitted, "One moment I was watching the Ark and the next..." she trailed off. "I must have blacked out."

Lexa nodded, though she said nothing.

"Can you show me?" the girl's voice interrupted her thoughts. Lexa stared at her. "I just–I've never..." she trailed off nervously. "I've never known anyone else that was...what was that word again?" she asked uncertainly.

" _Dhillarearën_ ," Lexa provided, feeling another rush of affection towards the poor girl, so ignorant in her way. "Yes, I will show you," Lexa agreed. From behind her, Lexa heard Gustus make a noise of disapproval. Lexa ignored him, reaching for her side and the water canteen that rested there. She held it between her and the Skygirl.

"Watch," Lexa commanded, focusing on the water that rested there. Her awareness spread throughout the liquid, and she willed it to rise. Slowly, it did so, lifting until it became visible from the opening and continuing out into the air, it's ribbon-like form pulsing with the movement of the liquid. Lexa allowed a brief glance at Clarke, taking in her wide eyes filled with joy, before she willed the water back into her container.

"That was amazing," Clarke breathed, looking at Lexa with a child-like sort of wonder.

Lexa shrugged, though she felt embarrassed by the Skygirl's praise. "Water is not my strongest talent; I am more skilled with Fire, to be honest," the Commander explained nonchalantly.

"What?" the girl asked, looking blankly at Lexa. "You mean...you can control more than one?"

"Of course. I am Commander," Lexa responded, though she was aware that this might be going a little past what the Skygirl could understand. "I can wield all five of the _brignsir_ , though my connection to Fire is the strongest," she explained. The girl opened her mouth, presumably to ask more questions, but Lexa held a hand up to stop her. "I know you must be curious, Clarke of the Sky, but you will have time later to ask questions. There is something I must know now."

Clarke looked at her curiously, but did not speak.

"Why have you come here? Is there a purpose for your journey from the sky?"

A shadow fell over the girl's face, and she looked away. There was silence for a long moment before the girl began to speak. "I was a prisoner. My mother..." her voice trembled on the word, "My mother sent me here so that I might live. We thought that Earth was uninhabited by humans. I wasn't aware that I had any company."

"I see," Lexa said measuredly, observing the girl closely. "So you are a criminal?"

The girl's eyes went wide, "I am not a _criminal_ ," she spat the word like a curse, anger making her voice strong. "That's rich, coming from my _kidnapper_."

"Watch your tongue, girl. Or I will cut it out," Indra warned in _gonasleng._ Lexa looked over her shoulder at the woman with a look of warning. The girl was obviously an Outsider, and had no idea who Lexa was. They didn't punish the ignorant, if it could be helped.

"How about you go _float_ yourself, lady. How dare–"

"Enough," Lexa interrupted firmly, and to her surprise, the Skygirl fell quiet. "So you are _not_ a criminal?"

"No," was the answer Lexa received, the tone sullen and angry.

"Then why were you a prisoner?" Lexa shot back, eyebrows raised.

"I knew something that the Council didn't want the public to know. I threatened to expose them," Clarke explained. "Having a _conscience_ doesn't make me a criminal, no matter what the _law_ says."

Lexa nodded, looking at Clarke a moment longer before she stood to full height. " _Ge en gonakruda,_ " she commanded. _Get the horses_. Lexa wanted to get the Skygirl back to the village before it got too late into the day. She did not look well and Lexa wanted a healer to look at her.

"Can you stand now?" Lexa asked.

"I'm not sure," the Skygirl admitted.

"Try."

The girl said nothing, her hands clenching into fists. She dug her knuckles into the earth, using them as leverage to push herself up. She swayed dangerously, looking down at her feet in order to give them purchase. She was able to stand to her full height, though her knees shook dangerously, before she looked up to Lexa. Lexa's eyes widened as two lines of blood appeared, dripping down from her nostrils. Clarke smiled, looking extremely proud of herself. "I did it," she announced.

Lexa opened her mouth to agree just as the Skygirl's eyes rolled into the back of her head.

Lexa hurried to her, catching her in her arms before the girl crashed to the ground. A hand to her forehead confirmed that the girl had a dangerously high fever. Lexa groaned inwardly.

Gustus returned with the horses, while Indra and Anya hovered back, uncertain as to what their _Heda_ wanted to do now that the Skygirl was incapacitated.

"Tie her to the horse," Lexa announced, laying the girl gently on the ground. "I want to be in TonDC before midday."

. ... .


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

 **So I guess the first thing I want to do is express my sincere gratitude for all those who have favorited, subscribed and especially reviewed to this story. Honestly, I was nervous to even post this story in the first place, but you all have been so kind! It's really amazing of you. Thank you.**

 **I also want to address something that several of you have commented on: the similarities of this fix and the popular cartoon _Avatar_. I admit that I have watched the show in the past and I can also see the similarities between that and this fic. We all draw for the same well, I suppose. Haha. I hope that as the story progresses, you will be able to see and appreciate the differences in the mythology I've created.**

 **Without further ado, please enjoy! (:**

 **. ... .**

 _Clarke met John Murphy on the day his father died._

 _She was twelve, and had just begun to assist her mother in the medical bay. Her duties consisted of mostly cleaning. Occasionally she would greet and assist patients with minor issues, but for the most part it was sterilizing equipment, making beds and the like._

 _According to her mother, John Murphy had come into Medical two days before with a nasty bout of the flu. There had been nothing that could be done about it; the only thing they could do was wait for the fever to break. Her mother had sent him home with some aspirin and instructions of strict bedrest._

 _That hadn't been good enough for Murphy's father. He had snuck back into the medical bay that night, intent on finding some medicine to cure his son's sickness. He had been caught and quickly tried._

 _He was Floated the very next day._

 _It was that afternoon that John's mother came in screaming, covered in blood. In her arms was her son, his life's blood pouring out from deep, self inflicted gashes on his wrists._

" _Clarke! Get over here. I need my kit, bring it with you," her mother had yelled. Clarke hastened to obey, though her heart was beating in her chest a mile a minute. They had laid the boy down, and Clarke could feel her stomach beginning to turn. There was more blood than she had ever seen in her life, pouring out of deep, angry vertical lines on his forearms._

" _Apply pressure, Clarke," her mother commanded._

 _It was hours later, after the boy had been stitched and bandaged, that Clarke found herself hovering over him with a damp cloth. The boy still had a slight fever from the flu, and his face shone with a layer of sweat. Clarke wiped at his face gently, unable to fight the sadness that engulfed her at the sight of his condition._

 _He was so young and had lost so much already. How deep did the sadness have to go before you thought about killing yourself? How much pain did you have to feel before you gave up completely?_

" _You'll be alright," she whispered to him as she wiped his cheek with her cloth. "You'll be out of here in no time."_

 _Clarke stayed long after her mother had returned home for the evening, only Jackson left to keep an eye on her. They had given Murphy a small dose of strong painkillers, and Clarke wanted to be here when he woke up._

 _Slowly, Murphy's eyes began to flutter. Clarke perked up, instantly alert. Murphy came back into consciousness with a burst of awareness, sitting straight up in his bed and jerking wildly. Clarke placed her hands on his shoulders, trying to gently push him back on the bed. Jackson came over but Clarke waved him off._

" _John! John, look at me," Clarke demanded in the calmest, most soothing tone she could manage. He seemed to not hear her, his eyes roving the room with no purpose. "Hey, hey, John,_ look _at me," she repeated and finally he seemed to see her. His pupil's contracted despite his eyes widening as he abruptly stilled._

" _You need to lay back, John," she ordered softly, pushing lightly on his shoulders. He didn't resist her, laying back on the cot. He didn't take his eyes off of her. "There we go," Clarke praised. She grabbed the cloth she had been using to wipe his face and proceeded to continue. "I'm glad you're awake," she told him._

 _He said nothing._

 ** _. ... ._**

The first thing that Clarke was aware of was something being forcefully shoved into her mouth. A split second later, she registered a hot liquid scalding her tongue. She sputtered, swallowing on instinct, coughing as it went down the wrong way.

Her eyes flew open and despite her blurry vision she was immediately aware that she was in a different place. She was on a bed of soft fur in a room she had never seen before. There were burning torches on the walls to provide light and a fireplace that must be the cause of the sweltering heat that invaded the room.

Before her was a woman Clarke had never seen a day in her life, staring intently back at her. Her hair was covered by some sort of wrapping but it didn't obstruct her face. Clarke observed her dark skin, marred by a single, long pale scar that covered one whole side of her face. Her eyes were a dark brown.

Her observations were cut short as the woman raised her arm, bringing another spoonful of liquid to Clarke's lips. Now that she was somewhat awake, Clarke stiffened her mouth and refused the woman's entry. She pulled her head away, groaning at the pain the small movement caused.

" _Drein daun_ ," the woman spoke in the same, strange language she had heard the people before speak. Clarke was actually rather good with languages, it had been kind of a hobby before she had been imprisoned, but she wasn't quite sure which one these strange people were speaking. It sounded vaguely familiar–perhaps some sort of bastardization of English?–but Clarke didn't have enough of her wits about her to concentrate enough to be sure. Clarke looked around the room, searching for the woman she had spoken to in the forest. When she didn't find her, Clarke felt panic rise in her throat. " _Yu souda drein daun,"_ the woman continued, " _Daunde yu ste kwelen."_

The woman attempted to bring the spoon to Clarke's lips once more but Clarke wasn't having any of it. She turned her cheek again, raising her arm to push away the woman's. It sent the spoon the woman had been holding falling onto the bed. Clarke felt the hot broth the woman had been attempting to feed her land on her arm.

The woman sighed loudly before she placed the bowl she had been holding on the small table next to Clarke's bed. She then turned and exited the room without another word.

Several moments after she had left, Clarke found the strength to rip the furs off that had been covering her. To her surprise, she was almost naked under the sheets, minus odd wrappings that seemed to function as underwear. She had no idea where her own underwear and bra were, or who had been the one assigned to undressing her.

Clarke turned in the bed, tossing her legs over the side. Her feet came in contact with solid, firm wood. Marvelling at the room around her for just a moment, she saw that there was a window on the wall closest to her. She hadn't noticed it before because it was covered by a thick, red curtain that blended with the color of the wood panelling.

Clarke stood, making her way over to where the window was. As soon as she had her feet under her, she swayed dangerously before grabbing a nearby bedpost for support. Pushing past her dizziness, she took several slow steps over to the window, holding onto the post as long as she could. When she had to let go, she immediately reached for the wall.

Pushing the curtain back, Clarke took in the village with wide eyes. It was completely dark out, the night of the new moon. She was able to make out a couple of huts and some fires in the distance. Clarke saw no one moving about and she wondered how late it was. She hadn't thought about keeping time since she had left the Ark but now that there were apparently people on Earth, she had a strange desire to know.

Who were those people in the forest? Where were they now and why had they brought her here? Where _was_ she? So many questions swirled around in Clarke's mind that she felt dizzy. A wave of exhaustion washed over her and Clarke became aware of how weak she really was; her very bones seemed to ache, every breath was an effort.

"Clarke."

Clarke jumped in alarm, spinning around to the source of the sound. Uncoordinated and weak, she stumbled slightly before she managed to correct herself. It was the woman from the forest, though she lacked the face paint that had streaked down her face like black tears. Despite herself, Clarke felt herself relax at the sight of the woman.

Clarke remembered seeing her when she woke up in the forest. The woman had been with others but immediately Clarke had felt drawn to _her_. It was something Clarke had struggled to articulate earlier when she had been questioned, but there had been a _glow_ about her, almost like a shimmer under her skin. There was something else as well, a sort of kinship that Clarke had felt form the second the woman showed her the display with the water.

"Oh! It's you. Hey," Clarke sputtered, feeling abruptly awkward.

Clarke saw a ghost of a smirk grace the strange woman's lips. "Hello, Clarke," she greeted. "Emari told me that you would not eat," she continued, "and now I find you out of bed. You are not a good patient," she chastised.

"Where am I?" Clarke asked, ignoring the woman's words. "Who was that woman? Why did you bring me here?" she asked rapidly.

"I will answer your questions, Clarke of the Sky," the woman agreed lightly, "You only have to get back into bed," her motioned with her arm.

Clarke, who felt rather drained anyway, agreed wordlessly and made her way back to the large, fur covered surface. She pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. All of a sudden she felt rather exposed; the wrappings she wore covered her shoulders and breasts quite well and the bottoms felt more like extremely short shorts, but it still left a lot of herself on display. More than she was used to exposing, that is.

Clarke expected the woman to sit on the bed next to her, but she did not. She remained standing as she spoke, "You are in the village of TonDC," the woman informed. "The woman that was here is Emari. She is your caretaker. I brought you here because you are very sick, Clarke. You fainted in the forest."

"Why am I so ill?" Clarke asked, staring at the woman intently. "I've never felt like this before. Do I have a virus or something? Some sort of infection?" she asked.

The woman hesitated, her mouth tightening. She appeared to be considering something before she responded. "Clarke, do you remember the night before you awoke with us in the forest?" she asked lightly.

Pain ripped through her chest as Clarke realized what night she was talking about. The night that hundreds of souls had perished into the darkness of the universe, burning up right before her eyes.

"I remember," she murmured.

The woman was again quiet for a moment, looking away before she spoke. "You strained yourself against the _kulag_ , Clarke. Your body is weak. It is not equipt to handle the power you have within."

Clarke fell quiet. She had not yet had time to think about what had happened that night. Clarke remembered falling into her Sight, but it was different than any other time it had overcome her. It had been stronger, deeper and brighter than ever before. The details of what happened were blurry, but she remembered that she had been attacked by some sort of savage beast. Clarke remembered she had fought back with the ocean of power that had somehow been at the tip of her fingers.

It had been exhilarating, thrilling beyond all belief. Clarke remembered the rush of adrenaline and the sense that she was invincible, beyond the power of any other living thing.

It was horrifying to think of now, as she sat in this too hot room, bare except for wrappings and so weak she could barely stand.

Clarke looked back to the woman who had found her in the forest, who was now standing at the foot of her bed staring at her intently. "You are like me," Clarke stated, but it came out as more of a question.

The woman rose a single eyebrow. "Yes," she agreed, seeming to understand what Clarke was getting at. "I have already told you, I am also _Dhillarearën_."

There was no annoyance in her tone, which gave Clarke the will to continue on. "I've never...met anyone else. I was the only one on the Ark that was...like this," she fought for words. The shame in her abilities was long embedded in the fiber of her soul and even the knowledge that she was not alone didn't do much to diminish the stain so many years had caused. Shaking herself, Clarke continued, "Is this affliction common in your culture? Is it something a lot of people can do?" she asked.

"No, Clarke," the woman replied swiftly. "It is not a common occurrence in my people, though it is not unknown. Though to my people, it is not considered a curse. It is a blessing bestowed upon us by the Great Mother."

"Is that your god?" Clarke asked, tilting her head in confusion. "You worship her?"

"She is our goddess. We observe her and respect her. There is no _worship_ , as you say."

Clarke nodded but didn't respond, wrapped up in her thoughts. These people were spiritual, but not religious. According to this woman, her powers came from some sort of ethereal source. The Ark had been more of a secular community than anything, but the woman's explanation was as good as any other Clarke had come up with.

"You are very powerful, Clarke," the woman spoke again, interrupting Clarke's inner musings. "Dangerously so. You seem to have little knowledge of your abilities, which only increases the danger. You need to be taught, trained. And so you will be."

"By you?" Clarke found herself asking before she could stop herself, her voice hopeful. She closed her mouth quickly, embarrassed by her sudden outburst.

"In part. But that is for another day," the woman replied, and Clarke saw the corner of her mouth rise slightly. "Emari," the woman called over her shoulder.

As if she had been waiting just outside, the woman from before reentered the room. Emari glanced at the woman from the forest first, and then to Clarke before she walked around to Clarke's side and picked up the bowl she had been holding when Clarke had first awoken. She offered it to Clarke, her expression blank.

Clarke took the offered bowl, feeling a bit sheepish about her earlier behavior.

"You need to rest, Clarke. Training cannot begin until you are well. Take heed of what Emari commands you, she is a very talented healer," she nodded to the woman before looking back to Clarke. Clarke had an odd impression of being very small, like a child under her intense gaze. She nodded wordlessly.

The woman gave Emari another curt nod, before turning to leave the room. Clarke watched her go, trying to ignore the slight panic she had at being left alone with such a stern looking woman who she had probably already offended.

"Wait!" she called out, unable to stop herself. The woman hesitated, turning slightly to look at her. "Who _are_ you?" Clarke asked. She had realized that she didn't even know the woman's name. Not only that, Clarke had a sense that this woman was an important person in this new world Clarke had found herself enveloped in. She had too strong of gravitas to be anything else.

The woman glanced briefly at Emari, who had kept her gaze trained firmly on Clarke, before looking back to Clarke. "I am Lexa," she said, with a slight nod. "Goodnight, Clarke of the Sky," she said quietly, before she raised the curtain to the room, stepping out.

Clarke looked back to Emari, who motioned to the bowl in Clarke's hands. Meekly, Clarke began to eat.

The broth was cold.

 **. ... .**

Lexa exited the hut that housed Clarke, taking one moment to rub her eyes of the tiredness that had settled there. She had returned with Clarke to TonDC almost two days ago now, and had done much before the strange girl had awoken. She had slept maybe a handful of hours in that time.

Lexa's first task had been to send messengers to her teacher. What Lexa had seen the girl do with the _kulag_ was something not seen in someone with no training. Even Lexa, having an affinity for all five _brignsir_ , had not the power to do what the girl had with water. Fire and Air were her strongest affinities, Earth and Water following afterword.

Lexa didn't expect for the messengers to return for at least a full moon cycle. Her teacher was a great distance away. It was why she had sent more than one man; if one should fall, others could go on.

Her second task was much more difficult. Dealing with the people that opposed her decision to bring the Skygirl to TonDC was a challenge.

Lexa had brought the carcass of the _kulag_ to be offered as proof. It was quite compelling, in Lexa's opinion. The body was still frozen solid and in the heat of day it emitted a kind of steam that was cold to the touch. It reminded her of something she had once seen in the very northern regions of the Ice Nation; ice that never melted, breathing and shifting and cracking like a real _living_ thing.

Still, many were not convinced; they wanted to see a display of the girl's power. Of course, this could not be done until the girl was healed. Lexa had been there during the initial examination of the girl and she was in worse shape than Lexa had realized. The girl was obviously starved; almost every one of her ribs were visible when her clothes were removed. The fever had been so intense that her body quaked with tremors and the nosebleed she had started back at camp that day hadn't quite dissipated, leaving her face streaked with blood.

Shaking herself out of her recollection, Lexa made her way to the tent that was designated as hers, pulling back the flap and stepping inside. Unsurprisingly, Anya was waiting for her, looking relaxed as she rested on a makeshift chair. Lexa hesitated for a moment, raising a single eyebrow at the woman before beginning to remove her armor. "Hello, _Onya_ ," Lexa said, surprised at how tired her voice sounded.

"Hello, _Heda,_ " Anya replied, her voice sly, almost mocking. Lexa and Anya's relationship had always been the most relaxed of all her advisors. It had a lot to do with their history; Lexa had been Anya's Second long before she had been discovered as Commander. It granted the woman liberties that Lexa allowed no one else, but only in private.

"What do you _want_ , _Onya_?" Lexa asked. She could tell that there was something else Anya was here to say, even from just two words. To be honest, Lexa was _not_ in the mood. All she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and sleep for the next four hours, until the dawn signaled yet another day and she had to get up and do it all over again.

"I have heard your Skygirl has awoken from her slumber," the woman started without preamble. "I am sure that her return of awareness is comforting to you," she said, the corner of her mouth lifting in a smirk.

Lexa was in the process of removing her clothing as Anya spoke and found herself stiffening at her use of possessive language. "Yes, she was very sick," Lexa agreed, keeping her voice purposely disinterested. "Now that she has woken up, she will be fine."

"And when will she begin her training?"

Lexa shrugged, "That will be up to Mari," she replied. "She will be able to tell us when Clarke is ready."

Lexa realized her mistake immediately and Anya's eyebrows rose. "I see," she said conversationally. "And when _Clarke_ is well, who will train her?" Anya asked, looking at her sharply. "You?"

" _Yes_ , _Onya_ ," Lexa gritted out between her teeth. She was quickly tiring of Anya's game of cat and mouse. "She will be trained by myself until Nalari arrives. Do you have any _other_ questions, or may I get some rest?"

"Forgive me, _Heda_ ," Anya said, that same annoying corner of her mouth tilted upwards as she stood. "Do not let me impede upon your beauty sleep. I just meant to congratulate you on the status of your charge," she bowed her head slightly as she began walking towards the exit. She said nothing else as she walked out but made significant eye contact with Lexa before raising the flap that led from her tent.

Finally alone, Lexa allowed her stiff shoulders to droop, her Commander mask falling away. She sighed as she made her way over to her bed, dropping onto the soft surface with a groan.

Despite the fact that she was both mentally and physically exhausted, sleep did not seem interested her that night.

Instead Lexa found herself staring at the top of her tent, wide eyed and absolutely awake. The past two days had been an absolute nightmare. Bringing the Skygirl to the village had many of her village leaders angry. Confirming that she was _Dhillarearën_ had them _furious_. Lexa supposed it had a lot to do with the fact that the abilities Clarke possessed were highly coveted in her culture; kids would play _Dhillarearën_ warriors in the street, parents would take their kids to be tested at even the slightest inclination their children were gifted.

Of the two dozen or so leaders that objected to Clarke's presence, only one of them was also _Dhillarearën_. It served to further her theory that most of the opposition to Clarke's presence was bred from jealousy and fear. Still, knowing the source off the problem didn't help Lexa deal with it. If anything, it made things more difficult. Jealousy and fear were irrational emotions and there was no reasoning with them.

Lexa sighed, shifting in her bed. Clarke was too exposed here; she had too many enemies. She would have to be moved, sooner rather than later. Lexa knew that she could control her men but didn't like the idea of Clarke having to endure distrustful glances and snubs while undergoing training.

It was an odd emotion for Lexa to feel–why should she care about how the Skygirl felt? It shouldn't matter. The Skygirl was an _outsider_. An extraordinary one, yes, but an outsider all the same. Perhaps it had to do with Lexa's first two encounters with the girl. They had both been so emotional and raw; Lexa was not used to seeing such displays. From a young age, her people were taught to channel their negative emotions into more productive things.

Clarke reminded her off a tree sapling, small but brim with potential. Lexa could imagine what she could grow into, the shapes she could take. There were other reasons Lexa was so concerned about Clarke as well. Practical reasons. A _Dhillarearën_ of her power could be either a great blessing or a terrible curse. If she were to fall into the care of an enemy, she could easily be transformed into a weapon.

Whatever it was, the undeniable fact was that she felt strongly compelled to train Clarke. It almost felt like she had no other choice than to do so. The first rays of sunlight began to leak into the fabric off her tent and Lexa closed her eyes for the first time, inhaling in a deep breath of forbearance.

She had a clear path. Now she must follow it.

 **. ... .**


End file.
